There is no one standard definition of an editorial franchise that I’ve ever been able to find. And among people who “do” content for a living, the usage of the term varies. Some consider any container for serial content to be an editorial franchise, whether it be a single blog post with a list of the Top 10 what-have-yous, or an entire blog, video series or Tumblr.

As I see it, these are all useful, but they are really content programs. I don’t like to apply a term of art, like editorial franchise, unless it adds clarity, guidance or other utility to people who want to understand or implement it. So here’s my definition:

An editorial franchise is a recurring content vehicle built around a topical category or list.

See, the power of an editorial franchise lies in its potential to position you as the go-to resource for content that is of ongoing interest to your target audience of readers. Publishing it on a consistent basis means your audience learns to look for it, so it is a powerful vehicle for driving return visits and loyalty. If you pick the right subject matter and distribute them effectively, editorial franchises can cement powerful messages around what your brand stands for in the hearts and minds of users. At their very best, they also liberate those messages far beyond the confines of your own social media followings or owned content channels.

Let’s get more concrete – editorial franchises include:

• Annual rankings, directories, trend reports and lists
• A daily quote or definition, like Techopedia’s Term of the Day email newsletter
• A workout of the day (WOD), daily ass-kicking or Fish of the Week (FOW)
• A weekly column that is built around a topic (vs. being built around a particular author)

The medium doesn’t matter – an editorial franchise can be a magazine column, a microsite, an email newsletter or an app. One editorial franchise could actually have all of these. If you know what your target audience is interested in or cares about, building out new editorial franchises might be a very worthwhile endeavor – especially for companies that need to get and keep people excited about coming back to their content channels. Coming up with great franchises can be a challenge, though.

In my experience, the best source of inspiration is other great editorial franchises.

To help, I’ll be surfacing my favorite Editorial Franchise of the Week for the next few months on Twitter – I’m @taranicholle. And I welcome you to join the conversation by sharing your favorites, or even editorial franchises you’ve created – just use hashtag #EFOW.